Name: Valentine's deluxe chocolate cake
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 175.00 g chocolate chopped; 100.00 g butter unsalted; 150.00 g castor sugar; 4.00 eggs seperated; 15.00 ml nescafé instant coffee granules; 50.00 g flour self-raising; 30.00 ml almonds ground; 300.00 g chocolate chopped; 50.00 ml cream; 30.00 ml brandy; chocolate curls or flake, crumbled; icing sugar for dusting

Recipe Disclaimer

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Ingredients (12)

FOR THE SPONGE

175.00 g	chocolate — chopped
100.00 g	butter — unsalted
150.00 g	castor sugar
4.00	eggs — seperated
15.00 ml	nescafé instant coffee granules
50.00 g	flour — self-raising
30.00 ml	almonds — ground

ICING

300.00 g	chocolate — chopped
50.00 ml	cream
30.00 ml	brandy

TOPPING

	chocolate — curls or flake, crumbled
	icing sugar — for dusting

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Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 ºC. Grease and line a heart-shaped cake tin.
2. Melt chocolate over a pan of hot water. Meanwhile, cream together butter and sugar, then stir in egg yolks. Dissolve coffee in 45 ml hot water and stir into butter mixture along with melted chocolate.
3. Whisk egg whites until peaking. Fold flour and almonds into sponge mixture, then fold in egg whites and pour into cake tin. Cook in the oven for 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn sponge out of tin and leave to cool on wire rack.
4. TO MAKE ICING: Place chocolate into pan, add cream and brandy, heat gently until just bubbling. Stir well and chill for 1 hour.
5. Cut sponge in half horizontally, spread a third of the icing on top of one sponge. Top with remaining sponge. Spread remaining icing over cake, top with chocolate curls or crumbled chocolate flake. Dust with icing sugar and serve.